Stubborn
by laellin
Summary: Shikamaru and Temari were both very stubborn people, especially when it came to how they felt about each other. And it was starting to piss Ino off. So with the help of their friends, she tries to get them together.
1. Chapter 1

When Ino found out that Temari was going to be in the village, she told Shikamaru to invite her to brunch. Once Temari found out she had been invited the the girl's monthly brunch, she had to hide her excitement. Apparently it came off the wrong way. "If you don't want to go then don't go. It's not like you to do something you don't want to do anyway." Shikamaru spoke, his words making her chuckle.

"No, I want to go. I'm actually excited to go. I'm just kind of nervous as ridiculous as that sounds. I've never hanged out with any of your friends without you there so I don't want to be awkward." Now it was Shikamaru's turn to laugh.

"Temari of the Sand is nervous for breakfast? That is ridiculous. Possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Besides, I'm not invited. It's girls only. Even if I was invited I still wouldn't go. It sounds like a terrible time. All they do is gossip and squeal." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Whatever," She started, rolling her eyes. "Well, we're here. Are you going to be at the Cryptology office all day?" He nodded. "Okay, I'll just meet you there whenever we're done. See ya!" She walked into the restaurant and searched around to find the girls at a long booth next to the windows. Ino excitedly waved at her and patted the seat next to her. Temari calmly waved back and gave a small smile. "Sorry I'm a little late. Shikamaru forgot to tell me about this yesterday, so I really just found out when we arrived." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"He really is the worst at doing things in a timely manner. I hope you didn't have work today." Temari shook her head.

"No, actually. Today is my day off. I'm supposed to pack up my apartment today and leave in two days. I won't be back for awhile so there's no point in paying for a place that isn't being used." Ino sighed.

"Whatttt, why won't you be here?!" Temari was slightly surprised that Ino sounded so sad about it.

"There isn't much for me to do here until the Chunin exams. Our villages have complete trust in each other and there isn't much fighting going on with other villages. So, since we're good right now I'll most likely be placed in another village to work on alliances." All of the girls looked sad at this. "What? It's my job. I can't stay in Konoha forever."

"You'll have to visit when you can. Maybe passing through to another village? We really enjoy having you here." Hinata finally spoke. Temari gave a sad smile.

"I really appreciate your hospitality. Konoha is my favorite village outside of my own. Everyone here is always nice to me." They all smiled at her. The waitress finally brought them their drinks. Ino had ordered everyone mimosas and Temari was not mad about it. They then ordered their food and the waitress left.

"Oh, please. I'm sure you'd do the same for us if we were in Suna," Ino stated, waving her hand. "Speaking of, tell us about Suna! What's it like. We've only been a few times between all of us."

"Well, what do you want to know? It's hot and sandy." The girls chuckled.

"Tell us about your life. We don't really know that much about you. Tell us about your friends! We want to know who's lucky enough to hang out with the Princess of Suna."

"Well Gaara and Kankuro are my only friends. I mean, I guess you could count Matsuri and Yukata? But they're more of students instead of friends." Ino scowled.

"You really don't have any friends other than your brothers? You don't have a best friend?" Temari shrugged.

"I guess Shikamaru would be my best friend, but he's not from my village, obviously. Growing up I wasn't allowed to have friends." The mood at the table changed slightly.

"Awww, Shikamaru is your best friend? I love everything about that." Ino squealed. _Oh god.. What have I done. _"You sure you're not more than friends?" Ino raised her eyebrows and the other girls laughed. "You two do hang out a lot. Not to mention he walked you here. And I bet he's going to pick you up when were done, huh?" Temari now raised an eyebrow.

"Well, considering he's my escort around the village, yes we hang out all of the time. And like I said earlier, I didn't know about this until I got here so he had to walk me or I wouldn't have found it. And no, he's not picking me up." She crossed her arms.

"Oh, and what are you doing after brunch?" Their food arrived and Temari didn't reply until the waitress left again.

"I'm meeting him at the Cryptology office to help him try to decode something." Sakura's mouth opened.

"Is he there now?" She asked. Temari gave her a confused look.

"Yeah? Is everything okay?" Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean, if you aren't the jealous type. The lady that works there, Shiho, is in love with Shikamaru. She doesn't even try to hide it." Ino's eyes widened.

"Tea.." She then looked at her fellow blonde friend. "Are you going to kill her if she get's too close to him? I wouldn't want to mess with you." Temari shook her head.

"Why would I care?" Now, everyone else at the table looked confused.

"Aren't you two in love? Hello?!" Tenten blurted out. Temari choked on her drink.

"No?! What makes you think that?"

"Uh, well you're always together, and don't say it's because of work." Ino started. "I know for a fact that Kakashi wanted to assign someone else to be your escort once Shikamaru became one of his advisers, but Shikamaru begged him not to do that. His excuse was that you would murder anyone else assigned to you, which we all know is partially a lie. Yes, you'd probably kill someone else, but he just wants an excuse to hang out with you. Not to mention once the war ended all he kept asking was if you were okay. He tried to look for you but the medics wouldn't let him." Temari's face slightly turned pink. "Oh, and we know it's not just one sided. Kankuro told me all about how you did the same thing, asking if he was okay and trying to find him."

"Don't forget the fact that you two are alwayssssss flirting. Whether you notice it or not, it's really obvious to everyone else. Even the guys noticed it." Temari rubbed the back of her neck.

"See!" Ino shouted. "You're even picking up things he does!" She pointed out and Temari removed her hand from her neck. "You leave me with no choice. Shikamaru would be pissed if I told you this, so no repeating it! One day I was just casually searching his mind and found out his little secret. He's totally in love with you, I swear."

Temari sighed and put a hand to her face. "Ino, you shouldn't tell me something like that. It's not right. Whether I believe you or not is a different story. Can we just drop it?" Ino rolled her eyes.

"You win for now, Temari, but I know you're lying." Ino squinted her eyes. "I guess since you won't be here for a few months it probably best that you don't start a relationship now anyway. I just hope another girl doesn't come along and snatch him up before you can."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ino, just let it go. If she says she doesn't have feelings for him then we should believe her." Hinata nodded.

"I agree, we should just talk about something else." Temari smiled at Hinata. "Ino, since you want to talk about relationships so much why don't you tell us about you and Sai?"

"Whatttt? There's nothing between us." Temari sighed in relief. The rest of brunch was nice and the girls got to know each other better. The girls said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Sakura was about to leave when she realized Temari might not know where she was going.

"Do you want to walk with me? The Crytpology office is on the way to my house." Temari smiled and fell into step with her friend.

"Thanks, I really didn't know where I was going." Sakura smiled at her. "Shikamaru didn't give me directions and I've never been there before."

Sakura laughed. "Leave it to him." Temari laughed too. The walk was mostly quiet as the two didn't know what to talk about until Sakura started speaking. "I'm really sorry about Ino, she doesn't really know when to stop and doesn't really care if she makes people uncomfortable. As you could have probably guessed from the fact that she was just 'casually searching his mind' the other day. She needs to learn boundaries, in my opinion." Temari sighed.

"It's fine, I mean Kankuro is the same way. 'Why do you always go to Konoha? Is it to see your boyfriend?'. Literally, and he is the one that assigns me where I'm supposed to be. It's not like I choose to come here on my own. I'm here for work." Sakura chuckled.

"I mean, you two do seem to like each other. It could also just be the idea of you two falling in love that would be interesting to people. I mean, you first met in the chunin exams where your village attacked ours. Then, you saved him from the sound ninja. You two slowly went from enemies to friends. You can't be mad that people think that would be kinda cool."

"So my non-existent love life is just entertainment for people? Nice." Temari looked up at the sky and saw the clouds, making her think of Shikamaru and how she really felt for him. She had been denying it to herself for years and had almost believed herself until everyone else started assuming the truth.

"We're here!" Sakura exclaimed. She decided that she would walk Temari inside so she would be able to get in, when they noticed Shikamaru was standing outside. "Is he really still smoking?" Temari nodded in disappointment. "That idiot, I've told him it's bad for his health." As they approached, they noticed a blonde standing next to him. "That's Shiho, the girl that's in love with him. It's kind of sad, really. She's such a sweet person but he has no interest in her at all." They finally made their way to the pair they were searching for.

"Oh hey Sakura, thanks for walking her here. I totally forgot to give directions.." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the side.

"You know, maybe I need to request a new escort while I'm in the village. You aren't very helpful." This caused Shikamaru to scowl.

"Whatever, troublesome.." He took another drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke away from everyone. "Oh, Temari, this is Shiho. She's really good at decoding messages. Shiho, this is Temari. She's the Sunan ambassador. She's going to help us decode the message we got since it seems like some kind of ancient Sunan language." She didn't know why, but when he introduced her formally instead of as his friend, it slightly hurt her feelings. She pretended like it didn't and extended her hand out to the girl.

"It's nice to meet you, Shiho." She smiled at the girl as she accepted her form of greeting. "And just because I'm from Suna doesn't mean I know ancient languages." Temari side-eyed Shikamaru.

"Stop lying, I know it's something you had to learn, princess." Temari frowned.

"Don't call me that." Shiho felt uncomfortable at the obvious flirting and Sakura giggled and started to walk away.

"I have to go, but it was nice to see you Temari! I'll try to catch you before you leave since you wont be back for awhile!" She waved at her friend and then turned back to the other people. Shikamaru was giving her a death glare.

"What?" She asked, knowing exactly what he was mad about.

"You wont be back for awhile, huh? How long is awhile?" He inhaled the last bit of the cigarette before dropping it on the ground and stepping on it.

"The Chunin exams..." Her voice stern, but he could tell that she was upset about it.

"The Chunin exams? Seriously?!" He rubbed his eyes. "When were you going to tell me?" She scowled.

"Why are you so mad?" She took a deep breath. "You going to miss me, Nara?" This time, she smirked. Temari realized this wasn't something worth fighting about, especially since she wouldn't see him for months. She wanted to end on a good note. Shikamaru just blushed and didn't answer. "Well, we can talk about it later. Why don't we try and figure this code out?"

* * *

**Hey guys, thanks for reading! I'm taking a small break from Hostage because I wanted to write something more wholesome and cute. I've just been in a mushy mood lately and don't want to write anything violent, so I'm sorry about that! I am going to finish it though! This is going to be a short story. One or two more chapters, nothing more most likely. I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know if you have a moment! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ugh!" Temari growled after hours of decoding. It was true she knew most of the language that was being decoded, however, that was only half of the message. The other half was in a different ancient language. One from Kumo. She thought about how it was nice to have friends in other villages, so she used her resources and called her friend in the Cloud Village, Omoi. "Hello?" It still weirded Temari out that not only they were able to contact someone immediately, but that they can also see you live. It was a video call.

"Hey, Omoi, sorry to bother you. We're just trying to get something decoded here and it seems to be in an ancient Kumo language. You wouldn't happen to know it, would you?" She scratched the back of her head and gave an awkward smile. Shikamaru felt slightly uncomfortable.

"I unfortunately for you do not. However, Karui might? If you can wait a moment I will go ask her." Temari smiled and nodded. Omoi got up and once he was out of the view, Shikamaru spoke.

"I didn't know you and Omoi were such good friends." Temari could hear what sounded like a slight bit of jealousy.

"Oh yes, actually. When I'm in the cloud I usually stay at his house. Much more convenient, not to mention cheaper." She was lying, of course, but she wanted to see how he would react. Shikamaru's ears started to turn red.

"Oh, that's smart." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the screen. About that time, Omoi returned with another of her friends.

"Hey, Tem. How's it going?" Temari gave the other woman a soft smile and sighed.

"I've been better. I'm stuck working with this idiot all day." She paused and pointed at Shikamaru, who was standing behind her.

"Oh, hey Shikamaru. How's Choji?" Shikamaru smirked.

"He's doing fine. He said something the other day about having a mission in Kumo soon." Karui smiled. "I think he said something about missing a friend from your village, not really clear on who though." Temari reached her foot back and kicked him. It was obvious that Karui liked his friend, but Temari wouldn't allow teasing to her, especially when she saw a slight blush appear on her friends face.

"Lovely," She stated before turning back to Temari. "Anyway, what's up, Tem? Something about an ancient language? If it's from here, I know it." Temari explained everything that was happening and about an hour of being on video chat, they finally figured it out.

"Thank you so much, Karui! I owe you dinner next time I see you!" The red haired girl smirked. "Talk to you soon!" They waved at each other and hung up. "Now that we have this stupid message finished, can we take it to the Hokage and then leave? I need to do something physical."

Shikamaru blushed. "Like what?" She shrugged before opening her mouth.

"We should spar! Since you won't give me a rematch, we can at least train." He sighed.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just go." He walked out of the building without another word. Temari turned to the other lady in the room.

"Thank you for your help, Shiho! It was nice meeting you." She smiled and left.

* * *

The pair delivered the message and then on their way to the training grounds they stopped at their houses to change into training clothes. They decided to just meet back up at the training grounds. When Shikamaru arrived, Temari was already there. But when he saw her, she was in a sports bra and tight work out shorts. _She's going to kill me before she even touches me. _He swallowed, hoping she wouldn't notice how awkward he was being.

"Wow, Nara, sweating already?" She was stretching and he couldn't tear his eyes away. "Something wrong?" He shook his head.

"No, nothing. I just didn't know we weren't supposed to wear clothes." She laughed.

"Fine, take your shirt off." She said, cocking an eyebrow. He was caught off guard.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean it's just a suggestion, but do whatever you want." He sighed, complying with the woman in front of him. But little did he know that it was just a trick to get him distracted. When the shirt was covering his face, she went in for a hit. Right to the stomach, making him double over in pain. Shikamaru dropped the shirt out of his hand and stood back up.

"Cheap shot, woman." He coughed. "Are we only doing hand to hand?" She nodded.

"Scared?" He laughed.

"Of you?" He paused. "Yes, always." She smirked and then lunged at him again. This time, he dodged it, ducking down and knocking her off of her feet. Temari had a surprised look on her face. "What? I've been practicing." She just stared at him before kicking at his ankle, causing him to fall to the ground. She quickly got up and pinned him down.

"So have I." She stated, pulling his arms behind his back. He groaned.

"Of course you have. Nothing can be easy with you." She smirked.

"Well, what are you going to do, Nara?" He gulped, pausing for a moment to stare at her face. Now he was smirking, and Temari didn't like it. In one swift movement, Shikamaru was able to roll Temari onto her back and pin her down. Wasting no time, he moved his face towards hers and before he could even think, their lips met. Temari gasped in shock, however she was not disappointed. She didn't try to stop him. In fact, she kissed him back.

Quickly after kissing her, Shikamaru realized that they were still in a public place. He got off the woman and sat next to her. She slowly sat up, unable to look at her male companion. Her face was slightly pink, which made him chuckle. "Does that mean I won?" She simply huffed and crossed her arms, still not looking towards him. "Are you mad?"

Temari shook her head at the question. "No, I'm not mad. I just wasn't expecting that. Especially in public. I'm just glad there isn't anyone around." Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, I wasn't really thinking about it. It kind of just happened. I'm surprised you didn't murder me." Temari laughed at that.

"Me too, to be honest. I wasn't expecting you to make such a bold move." He raised an eyebrow at Temari. "Honestly, Shikamaru, it's been building up for years and I thought I was going to have to make the first move." She looked into his eyes and he laughed.

"I guess I just got impatient." She smiled. "Why don't we go have some dinner?" Temari nodded and stood up, reaching a hand out to help her partner up. He accepted and the she walked over to her bag that was placed on the ground. She pulled out some clothes and put them on over what she was wearing. "Oh, so you did have clothes? Why weren't you wearing them?" She shrugged.

"It's easier to move without as many clothes on." She smiled at him, picking her bag up and ready to go. He put his shirt back on and walked out of the training grounds, Temari right by his side.

After a silent walk, they made it to Ichiraku's for some ramen. "Shikamaru! Temari!" The two looked to their left to be greeted by Naruto, Kiba, and Sai. "What's up you two?"

"Nothing, been working all day so we finally decided to get some dinner." Shikamaru spoke nonchalantly. Temari smiled at the guys.

When Kiba's nose starting moving as if he was sniffing, Temari raised an eyebrow. He got closer to them. "Your scents have mixed.." He moved his eyebrows up and down.

"Oh, we were just training. That's probably what it is." Temari defended, if she didn't even know what was going on between them, nobody else would. Kiba crossed his arms.

"Really? It smells like more than that. You sure you were just _'training'_" He asked with air quotes.

"Positive." Shikamaru answered shortly.

"Why don't you guys join us?" Naruto asked, trying to hold back his laughter from the awkward conversation he had just witnessed.

"Pass. We're getting it to go anyway, we have more work to do." Shikamaru's reply surprised Temari. They had finished all of their work that day and had nothing else to do until the Hokage said. She went along with it anyway.

Temari nodded and waved. "Aw, no fun. You're so busy lately, Shikamaru. I never get to see you." Naruto whined. Temari raised an eyebrow.

Did this brat know what he was saying? Did he know why Shikamaru was always busy? It was for him! He was trying to get everything prepared for Naruto to become the next Hokage and Naruto didn't even know that's what he was doing. What a shame, he owes him so much and he doesn't even know it.

Their food was ready and then quickly left. "Where exactly do you want to eat?" She asked, her tone annoyed.

"I was thinking, about your move and all, maybe we can eat at your apartment and then start packing it up?"

"You that excited to get rid of me?" She sighed.

"No, I don't want you to go at all. But if you have to, I can at least help." She smiled at him and took the lead to her place. Once they entered, they sat at the table and started to eat.

They ate quietly, Shikamaru's thoughts wandering back to the kiss. He was still in shock at himself. Temari looked at him, wondering what he was thinking about. She then remembered the reason why they came back to her home in the first place. She was leaving. Shikamaru could sense the sadness washing over Temari but decided not to say anything.

When he finished eating, Shikamaru took his and Temari's trash to the kitchen to be thrown out. He returned shortly. "Well, this shouldn't take too long. You don't have much stuff here." She sighed.

"I never planned on making this my permanent home, so I had no need for all of my stuff." She stood from her spot and stretched out. "I actually have a lot of it packed already in those scrolls." She pointed to the corner of her room. "Tenten helped me out the other day, but I haven't done much since."

Shikamaru smirked. "Aw, you don't want to leave me, do you?" This threw her off, causing Temari to blush.

"Are you kidding me? I can't wait to get away from you!" He stepped closer to her.

"Oh? That's not what it seemed like to me when you kissed me back instead of hitting me." She turned to him.

"Yeah, well that can be changed very quickly if you'd like it to be!" He backed off a little and sighed.

"I'm just kidding, Temari, jeez." He scratched the back of his neck. "Where should we start?"

"All that's really left is my kitchen. Everything else will have to wait until the day I leave." She walked into the kitchen and pulled out some scrolls. "If you want, you can put up the dishes. Just leave like one of everything out. I still have a few days left." He smiled and nodded. The two of them worked on the kitchen for about thirty minutes and then they were finished.

"Well, that was fast." Shikamaru spoke, leaning on the counter. She smiled at him.

"Yes it was, thank you for helping." He smiled back at her.

"Of course." Shikamaru looked at the clock on the wall and yawned. "It's pretty late. I should probably get going..." He sighed.

"Yes, we do have a meeting very early in the morning. Be here by seven so we can get some coffee." He smiled at her before turning and walking towards the door.

"See ya." He waved over his shoulder. And just like that, he was gone. Temari felt a wave of loneliness wash over her suddenly. She didn't want him to leave.

* * *

**Thank you for the reviews! They really make me smile. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning came very slowly. Temari couldn't sleep that night. All she could think about was kissing Shikamaru. All of the feelings that she had been suppressing for years started to resurface all at once and she wasn't sure what to do. Finally, five rolled around and she couldn't take it anymore. Temari got up and dressed in her workout clothes and decided to go for a run.

She ran from her apartment, to the gate, then the training ground, around the Hokage's tower, past the park and back to her apartment. She checked the time and realized she still had awhile left until Shikamaru was meant to pick her up, so she ran again.

Finally, after her second lap, Temari went upstairs to shower. She showered quickly and then got dressed. She went into her kitchen to see what she could make for breakfast. All she had left were eggs, an apple, some bread, and yogurt. So, she went with what she had and ate her breakfast in silence.

She looked up at the clock when there was a knock on the door. _He's ten minutes early. _She thought to herself. She got up and answered the door. "Good morning." She spoke in her normal tone. He just grunted in reply. "Are you ready for this meeting?"

"Not in the least bit." It was just a minor meeting with them and Kakashi, but he still didn't want to go. It was just boring and Shikamaru just wanted to get his work done so he could go home sooner.

She smiled at him while she got her shoes on. Grabbing her Kyodai Sensu from the wall, she spoke. "Are you ready?" She walked past him out the door, not waiting for an answer. He sighed, shutting the door and following.

She lead the way to the coffee shop she was so fond of. Ever since being in Konoha, Temari had taken a liking to iced coffee. When she first discovered it, she was in shock that their coffee was cold. She didn't quite understand it at first, but once Ino forced it down her throat, she actually enjoyed it a lot. She smiled as she put the order in, paying for three coffees. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"I can buy my own coffee, troublesome." She rolled her eyes.

"I know, but I'm trying to be nice since you had to wake up so early to pick me up." He sighed again, not wanting to argue. It was too early to argue. And to be honest, Shikamaru didn't sleep the night before either. He was up for the same reason, wishing she was in the bed next to him. He dreaded the day of her departure.

Once they received their coffee, the two of them made their way to the Hokage building. Temari entered the office as if she owned the place, letting Kakashi know they had arrived. He nodded and replied that he would join them momentarily. The two made themselves comfortable in the meeting room while they waited. Shikamaru broke the silence. "Where are you off to next?"

Temari checked her planner just to make sure she gave him the right answer. "The cloud." She replied. Shikamaru thought back to yesterday when she had said she usually stays at Omoi's house when she's there. He knew it was dumb to be jealous because they weren't in a relationship and she could do whatever she wanted, but he couldn't help it. "What?" She noticed the weird look he had on his face.

"Huh? Nothing, did I say something?" He raised an eyebrow at her question.

"Your face said a lot of thing." She paused for a moment and spoke before he was able to. "Oh! Are you jealous about what I said yesterday? About staying at Omoi's?" His face turned slightly pink. "Because I was lying. I usually stay with Karui." Shikamaru let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Temari pretended not to notice.

The door finally opened and the Hokage entered. "What about Karui?" He asked. The two turned their attention to the voice.

"I was just telling Shikamaru that when I stay in the Cloud Village I usually stay at Karui's house. That's where I'm heading when I leave here tomorrow." Those words hurt her to say and they hurt Shikamaru to hear.

"Oh perfect, that's what this meeting is about." He sat down so they were all evenly spread out. Temari slid his coffee over to him and he nodded at her in thanks. "Temari, I was going to request your schedule so I can see when you're available again. I spoke to Gaara yesterday and we agreed that we should move the Chunin exams closer to now. This winter is supposed to have very severe weather and we want to make sure everyone has a chance to partake." She nodded at him, flipping back to her planner.

Temari slid the book over to the Hokage and after a moment of him reading, he spoke. "How about on your trip back from Kumo you stop here again before you head home?" She nodded. "I know you have been away from home for a while and probably want to be back, but it will save you a trip from there to here and back since you have to pass through here anyway."

"It's fine, I've been gone longer than this. However, we got rid of the apartment because I'll be in Kumo for one month and wasn't scheduled to be back for awhile." He nodded at her.

"I will take care of arrangements for you by then. I'm sure you could stay with a friend here like you do in Kumo?" She thought for a moment about exactly who she'd stay with and when she realized it would only come down to Shikamaru, she tried to hide a blush.

"Oh, I don't really have anyone here I would stay with. I don't want to invite myself to anyone's house. Karui just kind of forced me to stay with her my second visit there. It wasn't my plan in the first place." She smiled awkwardly at Kakashi.

"Fair enough, I'll find a place for you." He turned to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, one month from now when Temari returns, you'll be her escort and drop whatever you're working on at that time to help with the Chunin exams again."

"Yes, sir." Was all he said. Kakashi stood up.

"Since you're leaving tomorrow, I can dispatch Choji tomorrow as well. He's supposed to be heading out for Kumo this afternoon, but I can postpone it so you can have a travel buddy." Temari smiled and nodded. She quite enjoyed Choji's company, even thought she's never spent time with him alone. But she figured she could quiz him about Shikamaru. "Well, I think that's all I need. Temari, come by before you leave tomorrow so I can make sure you have everything you need. And thanks for the coffee." She nodded as he left. Turning to Shikamaru, she spoke.

"So, do you have any work you need help with today?" He shrugged.

"You don't need to help me on your last day. Why don't you go relax or hang out with Ino? I think she's at the flower shop today." She shook her head.

"I don't need to relax. Plus, if you let me help you it will get done faster and then we can do something fun for my last night in town!" He sighed and moved to make his way to his office. Temari quickly followed, knowing that he had agreed to what she had said.

They made it to his office and he gave her a stack of papers to go over. Simple mission reports that she was able to review. Shikamaru trusted Temari, of course, but she was still from another village. He couldn't let her work on the top secret stuff.

What should have been a few hours of working turned into an all day thing. Temari was slightly disappointed, but she knew she would survive.

Kakashi had messed something up with the whole moving the Chunin exams thing and left Shikamaru and Temari to fix it on top of everything else they had to do. Once they finally finished, Temari stretched in the chair and yawned. "Well, that was fun! Can we do something now?" Shikamaru looked at her.

"What do you want to do?" He asked in his normal tone of voice.

"I mean, we can get some food. I'm pretty hungry." He nodded in agreement and stood up. She followed him out the door and they started walking towards the main part of the village. "Where are we going?" She asked, and before he was able to answer, a voice came up behind them.

"Shikamaru! Temari!" They turned to see Ino and Sakura waving at them. The two girls ran up to the pair. "Are you two going to dinner?" Temari nodded. "You should join us! Unless you're on a date, we don't want to disturb you." Ino smirked when she noticed Temari get uncomfortable. Shikamaru was able to keep his face straight. He was mentally slapping Ino and she knew it.

"Oh, no! We're not going on a date. We just finished our work and I was complaining about being hungry, so here we are." Temari spoke quickly, causing Sakura to smirk too. Temari wanted to kill the two girls.

"Okay, then you can join us!" She grabbed Temari by the hand and started dragging the girl towards their dinner destination. Sakura and Shikamaru followed the two. Shikamaru kept glancing at Sakura suspiciously, wondering if she was in on whatever Ino was planning.

They made it to the barbecue and Shikamaru was not surprised that's where they had ended up. When they entered, they were greeted by Choji, Kiba, and Naruto. They all said their hellos and sat down. Choji was the first to speak. "Temari, I heard we're going to be traveling together." He smiled brightly at her, causing her to give a soft smile back.

"Yes, we are. I hope you don't mind leaving early. I'd like to get there as soon as possible." He nodded.

"I don't mind at all! As long as I have food, I'm fine with whatever you want to do." She smirked. "I know you're used to working with Shikamaru, but I'm more relaxed than him. I don't complain about anything being a drag. And I don't mind not being in charge."

"I knew I liked you, Choji." Everyone laughed. "Are you excited for the trip?"

"I am, actually! I enjoy Kumo. Their food is delicious!" She could tell by the look on his face that he really was excited, and not just for the food. It made her happy to know that Karui potentially would have a relationship with someone like Choji. He was kind and caring, and that's what she deserved. "Are you excited, Temari?" She smiled at him.

"I am, I'm excited to see Karui and Omoi. I haven't seen either of them in so long. However, I really will miss it here. I mean, I'll be back in a month. But I've just gotten used to being around. It'll be different, that's for sure." Kiba smirked.

"You gonna miss all of us or just one of us?" His eyes slid to Shikamaru who sighed.

"I'll miss all but one of you." She gave him _that_ look. The one that scares everyone. Kiba put his hands up.

"Fair enough." The girls laughed.

Their food was brought out fairly quickly, to Temari's delight. She could feel her stomach wanting to make noises. They ate slowly, casual conversation here and there. Shikamaru didn't speak much at all. This slightly concerned Temari, but she wasn't going to say anything with everyone around.

Temari yawned and looked at the clock on the wall. "It's getting pretty late. I need to go so I can get some sleep. I have last minute packing I have to do in the morning." She stood up. They had already paid, they were just sitting around and talking. Shikamaru stood next.

"You're leaving too, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked and Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, I'm still her escort so I have to make sure she makes it back to her apartment without killing anyone on the way." Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't the point of an escort so she doesn't get killed?" Shikamaru shook his head.

"Not with her." She shrugged and started to leave when Ino jumped up and pulled her into her arms.

"I'm going to miss you! We have to video chat while you're gone!" Temari hugged her back awkwardly.

"Uh, okay?" She wasn't really sure how to respond. Sakura then stood up and hugged the Sunan woman.

"I'll see you all soon enough." She waved and made her way out of the restaurant, her shadow behind her.

They walked back quietly to her apartment. Once they arrived, she started unlocking the door and then turned to look at Shikamaru. "Are you okay?" He looked to the side. After a moment of silence, he answered.

"Honestly? I'm sad. I don't want you to leave tomorrow. And now Choji is going to be gone with you so I'm stuck here with a bunch of idiots while the only two people I can slightly tolerate are going to be gone." He looked back at her and noticed her smile. "What? It's like you said, I just got used to you being here I forgot that it's not forever." By now, Shikamaru was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. She laughed.

"Crybabies never change, huh?" He rolled his eyes. "Shikamaru, come inside." She walked in and left the door behind her open. He followed swiftly and shut the door behind him. Temari wasted no time, kissing him first this time. He was shocked at first, but kissed her back.

She ended up pushing his back against the door as she aggressively kissed the man she had been falling in love with the past few years. They pulled apart to breathe, Temari speaking first. "I can't control it anymore, Shikamaru. I literally cannot control myself around you." He looked at her with shock. "You drive me mad and I don't know if I can handle being around you if I can't even get too close to you without it being awkward." He nodded.

"I feel the same. We really need to get our shit together, Temari. This can't go on forever." She agreed.

"I know, but I don't want to think about the future. It's going to be hard if we're going to try to make anything work between us. Let's just not think about any of that tonight, okay?" He smirked.

"When has something being 'hard' ever made you want to back down? She laughed.

"Never." Soon, the two made their way to the bedroom.

* * *

**Okay, thanks for reading this! It's the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed! I would really appreciate a review if you have a moment. :)**

**PS there might be a bonus chapter if you all want one. ;)**


	4. Bonus Chapter

Temari woke up to the sound of her alarm very early the next morning. She didn't sleep much the night before, which she was reminded of quickly when she tried to move but couldn't because of the arms that were wrapped around her waist. She tried to break free but quickly gave up. Shikamaru had a tight hold on her and she couldn't get free. Temari decided that she would just have to wake him up instead of sneaking out of bed.

She lifted her arm up and brought it backwards, elbowing Shikamaru in the stomach. He gasped in pain and quickly released her. "What was that for?!" He asked as she sat up and turned her alarm off. Shikamaru laid back on his back and sighed. "There's no need to be so violent, woman. Especially not this early in the morning.

"Well, you wouldn't let go and I need to get ready to meet Choji at the gate so we can leave." She stood up and Shikamaru watched as she walked to the bathroom. Gathering her outfit for the day on her way. The water in the shower turned on and Shikamaru closed his eyes.

He thought about joining her, but decided that sleeping would be better. She wasn't in there for long. The water shut off as he was almost asleep and in the distance he could hear the sink water turning on. She was probably brushing her teeth. The thought of Temari in a towel, fresh out of the shower made his heart skip a beat.

Shikamaru had been in love...no like, with Temari for years now. The thought of this being a daily thing excited him. He would love to be able to wake up next to her everyday. All Shikamaru wanted to do was spend every second of his day with her. But he wasn't in love with her... was he?

Shikamaru was brought back to reality when she exited the bathroom. She was dressed, hair wrapped in a towel still. Temari wasted no time and started to pack up the rest of her stuff. Shikamaru then remembered that she would be gone for a month and he was suddenly so sad. "Do you have to go?" He asked, his voice sounding like a whining child.

"Yes, I have a job I have to do. I won't be gone for too long." She sighed and she turned to face up. "Get up, I have to seal the bed." They stared at each other for a moment before Shikamaru wrapped himself up in the blanket and moved to the floor to lay down. "So lazy..." Temari mumbled under her breath. Shikamaru smirked.

After everything was packed up, Temari left the room and Shikamaru decided that he should probably take a shower. So he did, very quickly. Not washing his hair, he was in and out in five minutes. He put his clothes back on that he was wearing the night before and then joined Temari in the living room. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and reading her mission instructions for Kumo.

"Wanna get some breakfast?" He asked, she nodded. So Temari gathered her things and then headed towards a nearby cafe. The two ate slowly, casually talking about Temari's mission. Soon, they finished and headed towards the gate. Choji was already there waiting for them. He waved happily at the pair. They waved back.

"Good morning!" He said cheerfully, causing Shikamaru to groan. It was too early for this. Choji had a big smile plastered on his face and Shikamaru knew exactly why. He was going to finally see Karui for the first time in forever. He noticed Temari smile back at his friend.

"Good morning, Choji. Are you ready to start our journey?" She asked in a very kind tone that slightly threw Shikamaru off. Choji nodded. "Okay, well this is where we part I guess. You better be here in one month or I'll kill you." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and Choji laughed.

"Goodbye, Shikamaru! Keep the village together while I'm gone." Choji smiled at his friends and turned to leave. Temari followed, only to be stopped by Shikamaru.

He pulled her close to him and into a hug. This threw her off, making her blush slightly. "I'll be here." She smiled and embraced him back. Neither of them knew where their relationship was at the moment, but they were going to enjoy whatever it was.

He let go of her and then she smiled at him, waving goodbye and walking away. Shikamaru sighed again. It was going to be a long month.

* * *

After a few hours of small talk, Choji decided to change the subject. "So, if you don't mind me asking... Is there anything going on between you and Shikamaru? I'm not like Ino and wanting to know just so I know things. I'm curious because Shikamaru is my best friend and I want him to be happy." Temari could feel her face starting to warm up, but she still smiled. She knew Choji's intentions were pure.

"I'll be honest in saying I don't really know what Shikamaru and I have. I mean, we haven't really talked about where our relationship is and I'm really confused after last night. We kind of admitted feelings but never settled on a title. He did stay the night though-" She covered her mouth, full face blushing now. "I can't believe I just told you that! Please don't tell anyone!" Choji laughed. It was weird to see Temari acting completely different than she usually was.

"I promise I won't tell a soul." He slowly stopped his laughter. "If it means anything, I think you're too good for Shikamaru. Honestly, I do. You've worked so hard for everything in your life and he hasn't had to do much of anything. And I know I don't know much about your personal life, but I've heard stories of how your village used to be. It had to be hard. And I can tell you've worked hard because of how much you do for my village when you're there. Shikamaru's had it easy his whole life and still complains." Temari sighed.

"Yeah, I don't really like talking about my childhood much but you're completely right, it wasn't easy. However, I'm thankful for it. It shaped me into the shinobi I am today." Choji smiled at Temari's outlook on life. "But I am thankful for Shikamaru. Even if he is lazy, I'm glad he is the way he is. I don't think I'd change anything about him. He has had a big role in changing me into a better person." Choji raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You remember how I was during our chunin exams, right?" Choji nodded. "I was an awful person. I didn't care what happened to anyone as long as my brothers and I were safe. I actually went into everything with intentions on killing just for the fun of it. I thought I was better than everyone, but when Shikamaru beat me in our match, I realized that I wasn't. He brought me back to reality I guess." Choji laughed causing Temari to smile. "When I first became an ambassador for our villages, he was my escort from the beginning, and I didn't have any friends there. So, he was my first friend I made. We were forced to be together all of the time considering our jobs and I'm so glad we were. I learned that it's okay to put your guard down sometimes..." She trailed off, realizing she had been talking about him way too much. "I'm sorry, you should have stopped me."

Choji waved a hand. "No way, it's nice seeing a different side of you, Temari. I'm starting to understand more of the things he likes about you. You're very kind. I'm glad he has someone like you." She smiled at him.

"I appreciate that, Choji. Thank you. But if you repeat anything I just said back to Shikamaru I will kill you." Choji rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly at Temari's comment. "Anyway, let's talk about you and Karui. How do you feel about her?" It was Choji's turn to blush.

"What? Her? She's..." Choji thought for a moment and then remembered that Temari had just told him about almost everything she thought about Shikamaru. He figured he could return the favor. "To be honest, I really like her. Like a lot. But I don't think she feels the same way. Which is completely understandable. I mean, I wouldn't expect her to like someone like me." Temari got a sad look on her face.

"Are you serious? Choji, everything about you is great." He looked at her. "And I'll let you in on a secret, but you have to promise not to tell." He nodded. "She likes you a lot too. You're all she talks about when I visit her after I leave Konoha." His eyes widened.

"Really?!" She nodded.

"Yes, really. I wouldn't lie about something like this." He smiled very big. "As tough and brave as Karui is, I don't think she'll make the first move. She tells me she's afraid of rejection, but since you feel the same way as her I really think you should go for it." She smiled at her friend.

"Thanks, Temari! That made me feel better."

"Of course. Just as you want Shikamaru to be happy, I was Karui to be happy. And I know you'll take care of her." He nodded and the two continued their journey with their heads held high.

* * *

**This was the bonus chapter and I hope you liked it! I really wanted to write Choji and Temari interacting because I love them both so much. Please let me know what you think! And thank you for the support! xoxo**


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